I have a legitimate xp pro license with COA and is with a full hologramed install cd and therefore not an upgrade.
I understand that when you activate your windows you are given two options one for ringing microsoft to activate and one for activating over the internet.
After "x" amount of installs i heard that you will need to ring up and activate the pc.
My question is how many times can i legitimately install the license and can more than one pc have the copy installed at any one time. As after reading the microsoft site i am unsure whether more than one computer can run my license at any one time.
when xp home 1st came out there was a thing where if you installed it x amounbt if times or changed too much hardware it would pop up that you would have to re register, but in the last 3 years xp home (i havent reinstalled ) on my 2nd pc has had, new mobo's sound cards,gfx, everything and not a re-register pop up in sight. they must have stopped that.
i think ive only phoned up twice since 2001
also my 3rd computer has had a pro reinstalled so many times and no probs yet.
as long as its orginal then dont worry
if you want to keep your comp updated then i wouldnt try to update them with the same copy of xp as im sure they do a hardware check for drivers against licence every time you update.
if you are not connecting the 1st comp to the interweb then install it and phone up for a number, but you cant update using the update site, try using an xp sp2/3 disc for that
then instal your xp on the 2nd internet machine and register on the automated web page and that will work. But i hasten to add the the end user agreement for xp has the stipulation that each comp has its own copy
If you're legal don't worry too much. I've had the odd "genuine advantage" error over the years and have just phoned Microsoft (who were nothing but helpful) who, once I had given them the COA licence sticker number ( http://www.microsoft.com/resources/howtotell/content.aspx?pg=coa&displaylang=en), gave me a new product key and a link to a site where I could change my windows Key. I must have phoned them half a dozen times over the years and they've always been great. So long as you have a valid sticker COA licence key then so be it.
With regards to installing on multiple PC's the answer's no.
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/FAQ.aspx?displaylang=en&sGuid=4ba5c084-679f-40b6-9119-f490f33e6c77
Tells you all you need to know about validations.
1 pc at a time. If your version is genuine you can install every day if you wanted. You just have to ring them up to activate it when it pops up. My brother had it on Vista after an upgrade. I've never had it though, and once I've installed windows 2-3 times in a week on the same machine, if the hardware is the same it seems fine with it.
ask Marduk, think he had 5 allready
Quote from: Luminance;270469ask Marduk, think he had 5 allready
I have my copy of XP pro on my PC and 2 other laptops, installed loads of times
No probs